The Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) Awards were held in Edmonton earlier this weekend, and a couple of Edmonton Oilers players made sure to make an appearance.
While Rogers Place is preparing for another Oilers season to commence next month, the arena had a bit of a country flair on Saturday as some of Canada’s most talented musicians took to the red carpet for the award show.
With the Oilers fresh off a trip to the Stanley Cup Final and hype surrounding the team hitting a fever pitch before the season, it was a no-brainer that some hockey content would be present at this year’s awards.
That came with a couple of surprise on-stage appearances by Leon Draisaitl and Corey Perry. They presented a custom-made Oilers jersey to country icon and CCMA co-host Thomas Rhett and handed out a unique Canadian gift: some maple syrup shots.
“You’re in Canada now… I’m sure you heard it a million times, we have the best fans in the world so welcome to Oil Country,” Draisaitl said to thunderous applause from the Edmonton audience.
The love between the Oilers and Draisaitl is running at an all-time high since the German superstar signed a massive eight-year extension with the club a few weeks ago. It’s clear that now that the ink is dry on that contract, Draisaitl is hungry to prove how much he loves being an Oiler.
Perry didn’t get an opportunity to handle the mic like Draisaitl did, but the veteran forward has also been busy attending some high-profile events in the city. In addition to taking the stage at this weekend’s CCMAs, he also made his WWE debut at a Friday Night Smackdown event held in Edmonton earlier this week.
While it’s fun to see these players be so involved in other events around the city, fans will be most excited to see them take to the ice once again. It won’t be long for that now, as the Oilers are set to open up their season on October 9 against the Winnipeg Jets.